Antiochia

Abstract
In this article I propose to show that in his eighth regnal year Ramesses III campaigned against the Philistines on the Northern borders of Canaan and where halted by them. Ramesses was victorious in a pitched battle, routed them to their home and destroyed their kingdom – “the Land of Palestine”. This land was recently located in the Amuq plain in Southern Turkey – the ancient Kingdom of Alalakh.

Resumo: A cidade de Antioquia e o cristianismo nascente sempre tiveram uma relação intrínseca. Porém, em boa parte dos livros e produções literárias ocidentais, pouco se fala de Antioquia e, em geral, da Síria, como locais de fundamental importância, ou ainda, locais de expansão cristã por excelência. Quando se discute o cristianismo no primeiro século, observamos, com grande recorrência, serem citadas Jerusalém, Roma, algumas cidades às quais o apóstolo Paulo endereçou suas epístolas ou até algumas das cidades presentes nos escritos de Apocalipse. O papel de Antioquia passa, muitas vezes, despercebido. Integrar ao conhecimento cristão ocidental os locais de origem e expansão por excelência do cristianismo é um grande desafio historiográfico. É superar séculos de " europeocentrismo " , de distorções, omissões, às vezes inconscientes ou não da real história que cerca a formação da religião cristã. Nossa história cristã ocidental carece profundamente de informações sobre o cristianismo no Oriente. E isto parece ser contraditório, pois a religião cristã, assim como Jesus, seus apóstolos, os livros escritos no Novo Testamento e os personagens que participaram de sua formação, todos são orientais. O cristianismo é uma religião vinda do Oriente, e como tal, precisa assim ser redescoberta por nós aqui no Ocidente. Assim, esta comunicação pretende abordar os principais aspectos da formação do cristianismo em Antioquia no século

The similarities between St George and the Muslim saint Khidr are striking. When looking for the mentifacts at the root of the similarities, we come across the Greek god Zeus, the Hebrew prophet Elijah, and the Phoenician weather-god Baal. This leads us to believe that the St. George we know today has little in common with the Palestinian martyr he is named after. We maintain that the modern St George is a conglomeration of mentifacts that are thousands of years old.

This work is about the polysemy of an iconography: that of the tutelar goddess of Antiochia on the Orontes. This goddess is generally referred as tyche. The turreted goddess created for the first time by the sculptor Eutychides is currently considered as a tutelar goddess and not as a tyche. However, many literary sources testify that this iconography was intended as a tyche,  actually. Also a story of the various statues of Antiochia is drawn, specifically according to the  Histories by John Malalas: statues were erected by Julius Caesar and by Trajan. From the  second century onward a decisive shift in iconography is witnessed, where the original  Hellenistic model tends to be substituted with another one: the tyche is in front, seated on a  throne, flanked by two paredres, one of which crowns her, following a scheme widely spread in the Orient.

Der Artikel behandelt eine fiktive Gesprächsszene aus den Gesta Francorum, die sich in sprachlicher und inhaltlicher Hinsicht aus dem Gesamtwerk heraushebt. Darin lässt der anonyme Chronist eine Mutter warnende Worte an ihren Sohn, den seldschukischen Heerführer Kürbuġa, richten: Ihm drohe eine vernichtende Niederlage gegen die Kreuzfahrer, die unter dem Schutz Gottes stünden. Mag die Textstelle für die ereignisgeschichtliche Rekonstruktion des Kreuzzugsgeschehens von geringem Wert sein, zeigt sich in ihrer Analyse eine differenzierte Fremdsicht des christlichen Historiographen auf den muslimischen ‚Gegner‘: Im Dialog mit dem ‚ungläubigen‘ Kürbuġa wird die Herrschermutter als kluge Ratgeberin inszeniert, der neben prophetischem und astrologischem Zukunftswissen auch Kenntnisse in der christlich-biblischen Exegese zugeschrieben werden.

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The article deals with a fictitious conversation in the Gesta Francorum, which is remarkable in the context of the work because of its language and content. The anonymous chronicler has a mother address words of warning to her son, the Seljuk commander Kürbuġa: he is said to be threatened with a crushing defeat by the crusaders, who are under the protection of God. Although the passage is of little value for historians wishing to reconstruct the events of the crusade, its analysis reveals a Christian historiographer describing the Muslim 'enemy' from an external perspective, but in a rather differentiated manner. In the dialogue with the 'unbelieving' Kürbuġa, the ruler's mother is presented as a wise counsellor who is credited with prophetic and astrological knowledge of the future as well as with an understanding of Christian biblical exegesis.

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Abstract in Arabic available here: https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/transmed/index.php/tmh/article/view/31

Libanius (born 313, died post 393) was a sophist (professor of rhetoric). He was born in Antioch and taught in the city from 354 until his death. His works are many and varied. Among his speeches, the Antiochicos or « Antiochean » (speech), is entirely dedicated to the praise of Syrian Antioch. Libanius delivered it during the Antiochean Olympic Games of 356. In the edition of the collected speeches of Libanius in the “Collection des Universités de France” it takes up volume III. Odile Lagacherie and Michel Casevitz edited the Greek text and translated it into French. My task was to write the introduction (47 pages) and the historical notes (122 pages). I discussed the text as a historical source.

The introduction deals first with the date of the text. A detailed analysis follows: this analysis shows the compliance of Libanius to the rules and clichés of the rhetoric of praise. The speech is nonetheless an important document for the history of Antioch and its famous suburb, Daphne, but also for the history of the civic and urban reality from Hellenistic times to Late Antiquity. Libanius claims to inform his listeners both about the past and the present of his city. Nearly a third of the Antiochicos is devoted to its past. Libanius tells of the legends of pre-foundations and foundation, and then gives an outline of the history of the city in the Hellenistic period. These narratives are a valuable source concerning the various functions of the foundation stories, the conditions of their emergence and their importance at the beginning of Late Antiquity. The main function of these narratives, however, is to celebrate contemporary Antioch. The important thing for Libanius is the present, and the Antiochicos can be used as a source not only about the realities of the urban landscape and the functioning of the institutions in the fourth century but also about some of the great debates of the 4th c. The excavations conducted in Antioch and Daphne have so far produced a lot of mosaics but few results of relevance to knowledge of public architecture and the urban space, and the texts which inform us about the history of Antiochean urban space are in their majority written after the middle of the fourth century: in many ways, and despite its rhetoric, the best source on Antioch in 356 is in fact the Antiochicos. For this reason, I took care to identify, analyse and evaluate all the insights given by Libanius, and chose to provide the text with a topographic index (p. 202-205). In ancient rhetorical tradition, the orator must speak on behalf of the city, as its servant. The way in which Libanius understands this task and carries it out it is in itself the subject of history. The study of the text as a historical document depends on our understanding of Libanius’ goals when he pronounces his speech, and then revises it for publication. Libanius’ aims are to build a consensus and to contribute to maintaining the Antiocheans as an imagined community, regardless of their religion, and to defend Antioch as a city (polis), in an era where the traditional vision of the city and its role within the Roman empire is questioned not only by Christianity, but also by the institutional changes linked to the emergence of a new definition of the empire. The introduction concludes with a study of the reception and posterity of the speech.

In the notes, my goal was both to explain the text and identify its historical interest and the questions it raises. The 36-page bibliography is indicative of the breadth and quantity of the reading required. But beyond just reading, this work conducted in 1993 led me to undertake a great deal of research and to specialize gradually in the field of the urban history of the Late Roman East. Many notes are based on articles published between 1999 and 2016 regarding in particular the Antiochicos, or more generally the work of Libanius, or Antioch, studied from different angles under various aspects and with the help of multiple sources. A lot of work has also been done to explain the various allusions made by Libanius and to highlight the apport of his speech to the cultural history of Late Antiquity.

For reviews, see:
http://www.hsozkult.de/searching/id/rezbuecher-27409?title=m-casevitz-u-a-hrsg-libanios-antiochicos&q=Malalas&sort=&fq=&total=48&recno=1&subType=reb ;
A. Busine, L’Antiquité Classique 86, 2017, p. 351-352, disponible en ligne : http://www. https://sites.uclouvain.be/antclas/AC_2017_cr/Busine_Casevitz.pdf).

Öz: Küçük Asya'nın doğusunda Persler ve Urartulara bağlı yaşadığı bilinen
Ermeni toplumu; MÖ VIII. yüzyılda başlayan İskit - Kimmer istilası sonrasında
Küçük Asya'nın doğusunda oluşan siyasi boşluktan faydalanarak "Ermeni
Krallığı" adı altında bir bağımsız devlet meydana getirmişlerdir. MÖ 188
yılındaki Apamea Barışı'yla Ön Asya'daki Seleukos egemenliği yıkılmış, Roma
İmparatorları Ön Asya'daki yerli krallıkları doğudaki Parthlara karşı siyasi
hegemonyasının devamı için desteklemişlerdir. Bu dönemde Roma'nın doğu
politikasında önemli bir Roma destekçisi olarak görülen Ermeni Krallığı; MÖ
II. yüzyıl sonunda askeri ve politik yönden güçlenmiş, Büyük ve Küçük Ermeni
Krallığı olmak üzere iki ayrı siyasi teşkilatlanma halinde idare edilmeye
başlanmıştır. II. Tigranes döneminde en parlak zamanını yaşayan Ermeni
Krallığı; Antiochia ad Taurum (Maraş) ve çevresine MÖ 83 ile MÖ 69 yılları
arasında hakim olmuş, Küçük Ermeni Krallığı olarak bilinen bölgeye bu kenti
dahil etmişlerdir. Bu çalışma; antik kaynaklara göre Antiochia ad Taurum
kentinin konumu, MÖ IX. ile MÖ I. yüzyıllar arasında Antiochia ad Taurum ve
çevresindeki Ermenilerin durumu, özellikle MÖ I. yüzyılda bu kent ve yakın
çevresinde ortaya çıkan Ermenilere bağlı nüfus hareketliliği ve politik
gelişmeler hakkında bilgiler vermeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Abstract: The Armenian community known to live with Persians and
Urartians in the east of Asia Minor; they took advantage of the political absence
in eastern Asia Minor and brought an independent state under the name of
"Armenian Kingdom", after the invasion of Scythian - Cimmerian in the beginning of the VIII. century B.C. With the Peace of Apamea in 188 B.C., the
Seleucid dominion of the Near East was destroyed and the Roman emperors
supported the indigenous kingdoms of Asia Minor for the continuation of the
political hegemony against the Parthians at east. The Armenian Kingdom, seen
as an important Roman supporter in the eastern policy of Rome during this
period, began to be governed by two separate political organizations the Great
and the Lesser Armenian kingdom, strengthened in the military and political
direction at the end of the B.C. II. century. The Kingdom of Armenia which had
the most brilliant time during the Tigranes II. period; have ruled Antiochia ad
Taurum and were included around these regions in the area known as the Lesser
Armenian Kingdom between 83 B.C. and 69 B.C. This study, aims to inform
about location of the Antiochia ad Taurum, situation of Armenians at Antiochia
ad Taurum and surroundings between IX. and I. century B.C., especially
population movements and political developments connected to Armenians at I.
century B.C.

Il progetto intende presentare, in più anni accademici, le realtà urbane e/o regionali entro cui nacquero e fiorirono nel corso del I-II secolo le comunità cristiane. L’intenzione è di offrire non solo la ricostruzione della vita e della storia delle diverse comunità cristiane, ma anche un’immagine complessiva delle città, illustrandone gli aspetti geografici, sociali, politici, economici e cultuali più rilevanti, per poi riflettere sul modo in cui il cristianesimo venne a relazionarsi, definirsi, ed eventualmente affermarsi, in tali realtà.

The mint of Antioch belonged to the most important mints in the Roman period and early Byzantium as it was the main source of coins for the Roman and Byzantine Syria. The specific period (324-610 AD) which is going to be presented here was chosen for several reasons. The first is that these dates are pivotal in the history of the mint of Antioch. During 324 AD Constantine the Great started to rule as a sole emperor after a Civil War, introduced new features on his coinage and gained power of the city of Antioch which immediately started to strike coins in his name. Secondly, the year 610 was the last year that activity of the mint of Antioch is attested, because after that year the city was on Persian rule. The research has shown that the Numismatic Museum of Athens (NMA) holds three hundred twenty-nine (329) coins which can be attributed to the mint of Antioch and dated without any doubts between 324 and 610 …

Theodore of Mopsuestia offers an innovative approach to the subject in question. In his works ‘Wisdom of God’ means God’s providence and wise management of this world in the context of Divine economy of Salvation. It has nothing to do with the Christological interpretation one could find in a lot of patristic sources from the Late Antiquity. He has serious theological reasons to interpret the Scriptural texts about ‘Wisdom’ in such a way. His specific concept about σοφία θεοῦ is based on his doctrines on creation, image of God in the human being, the man as ‘binding connection’ of the universe, his understanding of Biblical canon and perhaps his theological position during the Arian controversy.

Wiener Patristische Tagungen VII (Pro Oriente Band XL)

This article discusses the activity of the Antiochene mint in the period of the emperor Julian (361-363) who became notable mainly as the enemy of Christianity, admirer of Hellenism, philosopher and the last pagan emperor of Rome. Julian spent a rather important part of his reign in the city of Antioch that became his principal residence in July 362 and maintained this status till March 363. It is interesting that in the city which has been traditionally related to the Hellenistic tradition, the most distinctive coins struck in the name of Julian are not related to his cultural and religious ideas, but to the city’s role as a military and political centre which in this period played an enormously significant role in the organisation of the campaigns against its Eastern neighbours.

Nel presente contributo vengono esposte nuove ipotesi circa la provenienza e la storia antica del manoscritto ambrosiano del Roman de Troie (Milano, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, D 55 sup.) formulate dopo un’attenta analisi del codice stesso e di numerose fonti d’archivio. In particolare nuovi spunti vengono offerti dal ritrovamento di un documento autografo di Plombeolo de’ Plombeoli, autore della nota di possesso a c. 196v, e dalla scoperta della firma erasa di Jacopo Plombeoli, finora mai notata, all’interno del manoscritto. Grazie allo studio delle miniature e al confronto di queste con altri apparati decorativi si offre una nuova ipotesi circa il luogo di produzione del manufatto, che andrebbe collocato in area crociata e piu precisamente ad Antiochia. In this contribute new hypotheses about the origins and ancient history of the Ambrosian Roman de Troie manuscript (Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, D 55 sup.) are presented. These were formulated after a very careful analysis of the codex...

Jacques Leblanc et Grégoire Poccardi,  "Recherches sur la topographie d'Antioche sur l'Oronte et de ses environs à partir de la documentation photographique de l'époque du Mandat français", jeudi 23 mai 2019 de 14h à 16h en Sorbonne, salle D52 (escalier E, 1 er étage).

À l'occasion de la parution  de l'édition traduite et annotée de l'Éloge d'Antioche (discours XI)  de Libanios dans la CUF, une soirée de présentation est organisée le 13 octobre à 19h à la librairie Guillaume Budé, 95 boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris,  avec Michel Casevitz, Odile Lagacherie et Catherine Saliou. Plus de précisions ici: http://www.librairieguillaumebude.com/2016/09/soiree-libanios-le-jeudi-13-octobre-a-19h.html.